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A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted films and TV series on the online site Reddit.

Based on a police document reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed individual posted 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish authorities state he has been handed a seven-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts say the defendant was charged under a seldom-invoked clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge ruling that by taking the footage out of their original context, the man had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been convicted of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted data.

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult clips including over 100 female performers.

He shared them in the forum he was a administrator of.

According to the Danish anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were encouraged to ask for clips of particular performers.

In 2023, campaigners reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and producers, which led to the forum being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose nude scenes were circulated in the community, explained to Danish media at the period she believed there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the posts amounted to "exploitation".

'An important signal'

The defendant was detained in September 2024 and admitted culpable to the charges last month.

In a comment following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "important" message "that infringements of artists' rights has consequences".

The verdict is considered unique in the country for its use of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's creation cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed the media the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the case could influence other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be compromised much more easily".